Up in Albany, Republicans are losing everything. According to the Times, GOP senators aren’t just losing their control over the body they’ve run for decades, they’re also losing control of the Senate budget, and they may have to fire staffers, stop using state cars, and even cut down on office supplies! It’s a dark period for the state party. What on earth could give them their groove back?
Mayor Bloomberg, that’s who! When he’s on your team, money spills from the faucets and office supplies rain from the sky! According to the Post, the mayor has been courting Republican bigwigs to see whether he can run on their line in 2009. You’ll recall, Bloomberg famously switched parties in 2001 to better position himself to run for mayor the first time, and then left the GOP to become an independent in 2007, in time to mull an outsider run for the presidency. Now he’s crawling back, though maybe not to re-register with the party. He’s approaching district leaders to see whether he can run on the Republican line, and also perhaps on a third line of his own creation. By winning the support of the party, he can effectively circumvent other business leaders, like John Catsimatidis, who might try to run and topple him.
There’s some grumbling already, but the Post thinks it won’t be hard to get the Republicans in line. What, you thought they weren’t going to back the wealthy, establishment white guy?
FORMER GOPER MIKE WANTS TO GET BACK IN [NYP]
For G.O.P. in Albany, the Spoils Are Going Away [NYT]
